Tank or liquid receiver



July 22, 1924. 1,502,121? 1 B. SKIDMORE,. JR

TANK on LIQUID RECEIVER Filed July 20, 1922 UNITED stares PATENT ePrice.

BENJAMIN SKIDMORE, JR., or oHIoAGo, rLniNoIs.

TANK OR LIQUID RECEIVER. .I

Application filed July 20,

To all whom t may concern.:V i

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN SKIDMORE, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing at` Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Tanks or Liquid Receivers, of which the following is a specii'ication. l

This invention relates to improvements in pivotally mounted tanks or liquid receivers particularly adapted, though not necessarily limited in its use, .with steam heating systems and which tank communicates with the return pipe of the system and is adapted to `receive air and water of condensation, the liquid being removed from the tank by means of suitable pumping apparatus, the

v.operation of which latter is controlled by the oscillation or pivotal movement of the tank and which movement of the tank 1s in turn controlled by the height or accumula- 'tion of the liquid therein.

Heretofore in apparatus of this character the construction of the pivot joint has been quite a desideratum as the water of condensation has usually been passed therethrough from the system to the tank, with the resultV that care was necessary to provide a fluid tight joint. VSuch joints are more or less expensive andrequire considerable attention and frequent adjustments and repacking.V

To overcome these difficulties and objections and tov providean improved, simple, durable, compact and lcomparatively cheap lconstruction of joint or connection between the pivot-ally 1nounted tank and the vreturn line of the system, thereby obviating the nel "cessity of conducting the liquid through the pivotal support of the tank, is one of the objects of the present invention. j

vTo the attainment of these ends and the i accomplishment of other new and useful ob-4 jects as will appear, the invention consists in the features of novelty in substantially the construction, combination and arrangement of the several parts hereinafter more fully described and claimed and shown in the accompanying drawing illustrating this invention and in'which-Q i j Figure 1 is a vertical, longitudinal sectional view of a tank constructed in accordance with therprinciples of this invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view as taken on line 2 2, Figure l.Y i

' Referring more particularly to the drawing the numeral 10 designates a supporting 1922. semi No. 576,201.`

base of any desired size and configuration arranged above which base are spaced uprights or standards 11, having bearing openings 12-adjacent the upper ends thereof.

A closed tank or liquid receiver 13 is pivotally mounted upon the standards 12 by meansr of suitable trunnions 14e connected with the tank to one side of the longitudinal center thereof. The tank is provided with an opening 15 in the kbottom thereof, and which opening constitutes an inlet and an loutlet for the fluid, `permitting the fluid toV flow intoand out of the tank. c

Supported upon the base 10 and beneath the tank is a chamber 16 having an opening 17 in the top thereof, and which opening is arranged in alinement withy the opening 15 inthe tank 13. The tank 13 maybe spaced for any desired distance above the top of the chamberl and interposed between the tank and the chamber is a bellows-like pipe 18, constructed of any suitable material. The diameter of` thel pipe 18 is substantially equal to the diameters of the openings 15 and v1'? and forms a communication between f the chamber 16 and the tank 13. One end of the pipev18 is secured tothe tank 1 3 preferablyby means of a flange19 which abuts a bearing surface 20, preferablyconnected Awith the trunnions 14r and a clamping element 21 also engages the flange 19. The clamping .element 21 is secured in'position by suitable devices 22r such as screws, bolts, or the like, n f p v The other end of the pipe 18 is provided with a flange 23, which rests against a sur-` face24 connected with .the chamber 16 and a; clamping. element or ring 25 co-operates with thevfsurface 211 toclamp the `flange 23 of the pippe ltherebetween. The element 25 may be secured in position .by means of any suitable Y fastening devices such Vas bolts 26.. s

The bellows, orvpipe 18 is of any desiredy flexibility such as will permit. the oscillation ofthe tank 13 about its pivot 141 without interfering with the free oscillation of the tank.

1f desired, a stop `27 may be disposed on one side of the pivot of the tank forarresting its movement in one direction and this about its pivot to return it to its normal position, but when the accumulation of the liquid in the tank is suiiicient to cause the same to swing about its pivot in one direc tion, the elastic element will be compressed and energy will be stored therein, which energy will return the tank to its normal or horizontal position when the liquid is removed therefrom.

The chamber 16 is provided with an inlet opening 31 which is connected with the return pipe of the heating system and 1s provided with an outlet 32 for removing the liquid or water of condensation from the system and also from the tank 13v and chamber 16. This may be accomplished in any suitable manner such as by means of a. pump device 33 connected with any suitable source of power through the medium of a shaft 31 and coupling 35.

rlfhe pumping apparatus is electrically controlled in any desired or suitable manner and the electric control is itself controlled by the height of the liquid in the tank 13. 'lofthat end there may be provided sep arable contact terminals 36-37, one of which, the contact 37, is connected with the tank and is movable into and out of operative relation with respect to the contact 36 by the oscillation of the tank. The tank may, if desired, be provided with a vent opening controlled by means of a suitable cock- 38.

Thile in the present eXemplilication of the inventionA there is shown and described a chan-iber 16 disposed intermediate the return` pipe and the bellows-like pipe 1S, it is to be understood that this chamber may be of any desired size and! configuration or may bein the form of any suitable connection between:r the two.

1noperation, and when the tank is empty' it will assume theV position as shown in full lines in Figure 1. As the water of' condensation from the return line accumulates in' the chamber 16, it will flow into the tank, when suclr accumulation is great enough, through the bellows 18. remain in the position shown in full lines in' Figure 1 until the accumulationI of thel water of condensa-tion therein is suiiicient toicause the tank to swing about its pivot 14 into the dotted line position shown-in Figure 1. This movementrof the tank will cause thecontact terminal 37 to engage and-co'- operate with the contact terminal 36 to complete the circuit a-nd start the pumping apparatus into operation to withdraw or dis charge all of the liquid of condensation from the tank and from the chamber 16. The liquid of condensation will flow both' into and out of the tank through the bel lows 18.

As soon as the li'quid'has been removed from the tank the energy, which has been stored in the elastic member 29 during the The tank 13 will It will be manifest that inasmuch as the bellows 18 is located in close proximity to the pivot 14, the bellows will be subjected to only a slight degree of movement during the oscillation of the tank, and this is particularly advantageous when the bellows is constructed of metal.

l/Vhat is claimed as new is 1. In combination, a tilting receiving chamber controlled in its move-ment by the accumulation of liquid therein, a combined inlet and outlet for liquid adjacent but separate from the' pivot ofthe chamber, and means connecting saidv inlet and outlet with the return line of a steam heating system, the said means embodying a. flexible pipe section.

2. 1n combination, a tilting receiving chamber controlled in its movement by the accumulation of liquid therein and. removal of the liquid' therefrom, a combined inlet and outlet for liquid, and means adjacent. but separate from the pivot and connecting said inlet and outlet with the return line of a steam heating system, the said means embodying a bellows pipe section.

3. An apparatus of the character described embodying a receiving chamber, means pivotarlly supporting the said' chamber, said chamber having an opening through one wall thereof independentof the pivot of the chamber, a liquid passage terminating short of the said' opening', and' a bel-lows pipe section connected with the said chamber and the end' of the said passage and forming a communication between the said passage and the said opening.

1. An. apparatus ofthe character described embodying a receiving chamber, means pivotally supporting the said' chamber, saidv chamber having an opening through one wall' thereof independent of the pivot of the chamber, a liquid passage terminating short ofthe said opening, and a bellows pipe section connected with the said chamber and the endV ofV the said passage and forming a communication between the said passage and the said opening, thel said bellows constituting an inlet and an. outlet for the liquid to and from the chamber.

5. An apparatus ofthe character described embodying a receiving chamber, means pivotally supporting the said chamber; said chamber having anl opening through one wall thereof independent of the pivot of the chamber, a liquid' passage terminating short of the said opening, a bellows pipe section connected with the said chamber and the end of the said passage and forming a communication between the said passage and the said opening, the saidbellows constituting an inlet and an outlet for the liquid to and from the chamber, and means for conveying away the liquid.

6. An apparatus of the character described embodying a receiving chamber, means pivotally supporting the said chamber, said chamber having an opening through one.y

wall thereof independent of the pivot of the chamber, a liquid passage terminating short of the said opening, a bellows pipe section connected with the said chamber and the end of the ysaid passage and forming a communication between the said passage and the said opening, pumping mechanism for conveying away the liquid from the chamber, and means controlled by the tilting action of the chamber for controlling the said pumping mechanism.

7. An apparatus of the character described embodying a receivingchamber, means piv# otally support-ing the said chamber, said chamber having an opening through one wall thereof independent of the pivot of the chamber, a liquid passage terminating short of the said opening, a bellows pipe section connected with the said chamber and the end of the said passage and forming a communication between the said passage and the said opening, pumping mechanism for conveying the liquid away from the chamber, and electric means controlled by the height of the liquid in the chamber for controlling the pumping mechanism.

8. In combination, a tilting' receiving chamber supported at one side of the center of gravity, in combination with an inlet and an outlet for fluid disposed in close proximity to but separate from the pivot of the chamber, and means connecting said inlet and outlet with the return line of a steam heating system, the said means embodying a. flexible pipe section.

9. In combination, a tilting receiving chamber supported at one side of the cent-er of gravity, in combination with an inlet and an outlet for fluid disposed in close proX- imity to but separate from the pivot of the chamber, and means connecting said inlet and outlet with the return line of a steam heating system, the said means embodying a bellows pipe section.

l0. An apparatus of the character described embodying a pivotally mounted receiving chamber having an opening constituting an inlet and an outlet for fluid and disposed in close proximity to but separate from the pivot, 'a fluid passage terminating short of said opening, and a bellows pipe section forming a connection between the end of saidpassage and the said opening.

.In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, on this 17th day of July, A. D. 1922.

BENJAMIN, SKIDMORE, JR. 

